Is 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Better than Eagles HC Nick Sirianni?

Shanahan does more for the 49ers than Sirianni does for the Eagles, but does that mean Shanahan is the better head coach?

Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan talks with line judge Rusty Baynes (59) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Whenever football experts rank the head coaches in the NFL, Kyle Shanahan almost always comes out ahead of Nick Sirianni even though Sirianni has won a Super Bowl and Shanahan never has.

The logic is this: Shanahan does more for the 49ers than Sirianni does for the Eagles. Sirianni is a chairman-of-the-board type of head coach who doesn't call plays. He puts together the general blueprint for what the offense should look like, but on game days he's at the mercy of his coordinators.

Shanahan does everything for the 49ers. He's the head coach, the offensive play caller and the general manager when he wants to be. He has a big say in the players the 49ers draft and sign, plus he hired John Lynch. The 49ers are Shanahan's operation from top to bottom.

The Eagles are Howie Roseman's operation. That's why they still haven't given Sirianni an extension since they hired him in 2021. He's replaceable, and he currently gets paid half of what Shanahan gets paid, although Sirianni probably will get a new deal soon considering he just won the Super Bowl.

That doesn't mean Sirianni is a genius or an all-time head coach. It simply means that when he had the best roster in the NFL, he delivered a Lombardi Trophy. He didn't mess it up.

You can't say the same thing about Shanahan. He had the league's best roster in 2023 -- nine players ranked in the NFL's top 100 -- and he still lost the Super Bowl in overtime to a Chiefs team that was not particularly dominant.

Shanahan gets paid so much money because teams covet his offensive scheme and network of assistant coaches. Not because he's a great game manager or decision-maker. When it comes to his primary job -- being a head coach -- he has not proven that he's better than Sirianni.